Home > Kucinich Calls for Accountability and Exit Plan "Things are getting worse in (…)

Kucinich Calls for Accountability and Exit Plan "Things are getting worse in Iraq"

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 17 November 2005
6 comments

Wars and conflicts International Governments USA

Iraq Is Bush’s War
Buck Stops At His Desk And He Cannot Duck Responsibility Or Accountability
The President Cannot Claim He Was Misled As He Continues To Mislead

WASHINGTON - November 14 - Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement today on the Bush Administration’s attacks on critics of his Iraq policy:

"Let there be no mistake about it, Iraq is Bush’s war. The buck stops at his desk and he cannot duck responsibility or accountability for the failure of his war and occupation. It is President Bush’s war that has killed over 2,000 American soldiers and injured tens of thousand more. It is President Bush’s war that has cost our nation over $200 billion at the expense of domestic priorities such as healthcare, education and disaster relief. And, it is President Bush’s war that has made Iraq a training ground for Al-Qaeda terrorists.

"By attacking war critics, the President is simply trying to change the headlines from the daily reports of failure from Iraq. Failure to secure the country, failure of post-war planning, and most of all, failure of having a plan to bring our troops home and ending this war.

"Empty political rhetoric, false claims and smear tactics against war critics might distract the media for a few days, but it does not change the reality of the war, or the President’s failures.

"The President, as much as he may try to help his plummeting poll numbers, cannot rewrite history. Two-thirds of current House Democrats and half of current Senate Democrats opposed the war in Iraq.

"Congress, controlled by Republicans, did vote to authorize the use of force against Iraq. But only after being misled by misinformation, bad intelligence and faulty arguments by the President and his aides.

"The buck stops directly at President Bush’s desk for the misleading information, false intelligence and disproven arguments that President Bush, and his Administration, used to lead this nation, and Congress, into war.

"The President cannot claim he was misled as he continues to mislead. While the President seeks to absolve himself from ’false intelligence’ he is continuing to assert the same falsehoods that led us into Iraq and keeps us there.

"Instead of campaign style speeches, the President’s time would be better spent, doing what a majority of the American people want him to do, planning to bring our troops home and ending the war in Iraq."

Momentum In Congress Begins To Shift on Iraq; Discharge Petition Started On Homeward Bound Act
20 Members Of Congress Show Up At Roll Out Of Discharge Petition Of Bipartisan Bill Authored By Reps. Abercrombie (D-HI), Kucinich (D-OH), Jones (R-NC) and Paul (R-TX) To End War In Iraq
This Congress Needs To Give America An Honorable Discharge From Iraq, Says Kucinich

WASHINGTON - November 16 - Following yesterday’s bipartisan no confidence vote in the Senate on President Bush’s Iraq policy, today, twenty Members of Congress held a press conference to announce the start of a discharge petition on bipartisan legislation authored by Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) and Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) to end the war in Iraq.

The discharge petition, a parliamentary tactic used to bring legislation directly to the House floor, was filed today on House Joint Resolution 55, The Homeward Bound Act, a bipartisan bill that sets a start date for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Kucinich, one of the authors of H. J. Res. 55, issued the following statement today:

“The momentum in Congress has shifted. With this discharge petition we are saying enough. Enough of the misleading statements, changing rational, smear tactics and disinformation from this Administration. Enough of a failed policy that has cost the lives of over 2,000 American troops. And, enough of a Congress that has shunned its Constitutional duty to hold this Administration responsible and accountable for their failed war and occupation.

“This Congress needs to give America a honorable discharge from Iraq. H. J. Res. 55, and this discharge petition, is the beginning of the end of the war in Iraq. Two-thirds of current House Democrats and half of the current Senate Democrats voted against this war.

“The President cannot claim he was misled as he continues to mislead. The war will end and we will bring our troops home; that much is inevitable. What must be decided is timing and terms. Proponents of the Iraq occupation believe that with more time, troops, appropriations and cost in life, the insurgency will be eliminated. But there are no signs of this happening. All signs point to the opposite. Things are getting worse in Iraq and the mere presence of the United States is causing this to happen.

“H. J. Res. 55 is the only bipartisan bill in the House to end the war in Iraq. It is time for Congress to stand with the American public and demand an end to the war.”

The discharge petition filed today requires the signature of 218 Members of Congress, a majority, in order for the bill to be brought to the House floor for consideration.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1116-03.htm

Forum posts

  • Dennis, after running on a supposed Peace platform in 2004, you wholeheartedly threw your support to warmonger Kerry. Yes, Iraq is Bush’s war. And Kerry’s war. And Clinton’s war. And your war. Etc., etc. etc.

    • Do you presume Mr. Kucinich should have supported the lying scoundrels running for re-election? I believe Diebold gave them all the support they needed.

      Will Fields

    • There was one other choice - Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo. I know, I know - unelectable and all that rot. But only because they didn’t get the support they should have from supposed anti-warriors like Kucinich, Chomsky et al.

    • As always THANK YOU DENNIS! You are a beacon of truth and hope.

      Dear 209.235
      you seem to be on this board for the purpose of bashing Kucinich which is pretty odd considering he is one of the only ones in congress who has been pushing for withdrawal from Iraq since the beginning. He is still our best hope, proposing an exit plan in congress, introducing accountablity with his RoI into the WHIG group...so how will you find success by attacking him. I do not see Nader or Camejo exposing the lies or spending their energy outside of the election to bring this war to an end. I already responded to you on another post...White House Iraq Group Must be Investigated where it sounds like there is still hope for an investigation into WHIG

      gimme a break 209.**.235. "His words here are meaningless" a little harsh eh? Everybody makes mistakes. I have read that Dennis has learned his lesson and will not support war candidates in the future. Kerry is probably the person you should direct that anger at, he is the one responsible for four more years of W.

      So where do we go from here? Had this Resolution of Inquiry been better publicized, discussed on the corporate news even, the American people would have demanded it. IF the RoI into WHIG passed, I believe we would have overwhelming evidence of what we all know was going on before the war. They made all that shit up! They knew exactly what they were doing.

      Is the new evidence of Hadley’s( a member of WHIG) involvement in the niger forgeries and the Plame case enough reason to bring this up for another vote? There must be something we can do??!!

    • Absolutely Dennis is great IMHO,

      Though I belong to no party (and often side with Libertarian freedom vs gov. control) I can honestly say I respect Dennis for what comes across as SINCERITY and CONVICTION two things missing in most of our sold out carreer politicians. Many Americans simply would prefer FAIRNESS rather than even pandering to the different special interests of either left and right specially.

      Though there are so many "plastic" politicians Dennis definately IMO comes across as real at least as far as being human. Though i might be one to debate him on certain excesses of "big government" how could he POSSIBLY be for bigger government tha the Neo-CON menace that is speding money NOW that probably won’t be earned until way after our GRAND-children retire.

      If DEnnis wants to be successful IMO he is going to have to use his strengths in championing constitutional rights that both many on the so called ’left and right’ fear are eroding under the neo-Cons attack on the Bill of Rights. I am realizing more and more neither the Democrats or the Republicans are exactly moving in lock step WITHIN the party but there are many of both parties movinf in lockstep to the "new corporate fascism". It is the maverick within the parties i more and more admire from the popular Ron Paul of the so called ’right’ to Dennis who might be seen as one more of ’the left’. I no longer myself really consider right or left so much as who is going to BEST represent the Constitution and Bill of Rights and best show America the way to Peace and prosperity. War for the next 50 years as looney’s like Cheney preach about is shear IDIOCY and Americans by far don’t want any part of it.

      Though some might find it ’overly paranoid’ the massive amount of citizens expecting a ’false flag’ type of ’9-11’ terrorist event is amazing IMO when one reads sentiment on the world net. What has America become that so many now around the world view it no longer as ’the liberator’ but ’the enslaver’ and have become convinced that forces within America wanting to promote further conquest of lands and resources might once again attack their very own citizens as the sheep are starting to forget about 9-11.

      Dennis IS IMo a diamond in the rough of the Democratic party and I think if he could reach out to the middle and Libertarian type freedom loving people he could become a great populist candidate. I’d like to see it.I’d be tempted to consider him vote worthy.

  • As a military family from Ohio with a son in Iraq-Ohio National Guard, we are mad as hell about this whole war. Not just because our son is in it-it was wrong from the beginning, based on lies.

    I don’t hold it against Dennis for the Kerry thing-what else could he do? Dennis didn’t vote for the war and he continues to fight for our troops-a voice you can bet Dubya doesn’t want anyone to REALLY hear.

    It gets worse EVERY DAY in Iraq- I hear it first hand-no the papers don’t tell it all-they downplay how bad it really is. Just like they downplayed what Senator from PA said yesterday in the poll he cited-82% of Iraqis’ want us GONE -45% think it is OK if others shoot at "the occupiers". That was a secret British Defense poll in Aug 2005-cited in the Sunday Telegraph and Yahoo News Oct 22, 2005.

    So let’s go already-why would there be any long term costs if the Senate overrides Bush, loads up our soldiers and brings them home from an illegal war? As one commander said "35 years ago, we had to leave Vietnam to save the Army, we are there again. We need to leave Iraq".